First Human Test of Optogenetics Could Restore Sight to the Blind

ByConnor Hodde

Before our brains build a visual image of our world, a chain of cells in our eyes must convert light into electrical signals that are processed in the brain. Photoreceptor cells in the retina represent the first link in this chain, and they are reactive to photons, or the fundamental particle of visible light. Retinitis pigmentosa causes these cells to…

Spark Surges in IPO as Prices Fuel Gene Therapy

ByConnor Hodde

Spark Therapeutics Inc. hit a $1.2 billion valuation on the biotechnology firm’s first day on the market, reflecting growing investor enthusiasm for the once-beleaguered field of gene therapy, a field that has produced the first $1 million drug.  The treatments focus on diseases where a single mutation in the genetic code is known to be…